Measuring up your Energy Usage

Receiving a high electric bill may come as a complete shock, especially if you are trying to conserve energy. There is nothing more discouraging then trying to conserve energy only to receive a higher bill. Most utility companies will deliver a bill once every 30-45 days, this means that what happens on day one won’t be visible until at least 30 days later. If something begins impacting your energy bill early in the month can you afford to allow it to rack up extra charges for a whole month before you stop it?

According to Energy Star an important first step to improving your energy efficiency is getting a handle on your energy usage. One of the tools they offer on their website is called the home energy yardstick. This tool allows you to input a year of utility bill information and will let you know how you rank in terms of energy efficiency. Ranking your use allows you to know if you need to take drastic measures or something simple. It will rank your usage on a scale of 1-10; 10 is the highest score you can get and 1 is the lowest. If you are below a 7 you should consider taking drastic measures to improve your energy efficiency. What if you do not have a year of energy bills? Or, if it is the fluctuation from month to month in your energy bills that is the problem?

Monthly bills can give you a picture of your overall usage, but it doesn’t help dial in on what is going on during that month. Real-time energy monitoring let’s you see exactly how much energy you are using throughout the day so that you can find and stop high energy using devices before they make it to your bill. Waiting 30-45 days for an electric bill is the same as if you pumped gas into your car for a month without any indication of how many gallons you pumped or how much it would cost. That sounds fairly ridiculous, doesn’t it? It’s the same story with your energy usage; don’t let it be a surprise at the end of the month. Knowing your usage allows you to make the changes while it is happening to avoid the large bills and save you money.